Equality Florida Praises Rick Scott, Democratic Rivals for Backing Jan Brewer's Veto

Nadine Smith, the CEO of Equality Florida which supports overturning the state constitutional amendment which defines marriage in the Sunshine State as only between a man and woman, praised Gov. Rick Scott and his rivals for saying Gov. Jan Brewer, R-Ariz., should have veoted legislation in Arizona that allows business owners to refuse to do business with gays citing religious reasons. The bill passed both chambers of the Arizona Legislature but was vetoed by Brewer on Wednesday.

This is an important message from Gov. Scott to the extremists in his party, urging them not to push Florida in the disastrous direction taken by Arizona, Smith said on Wednesday night. The condemnation from all quarters -- most visibly and vocally from the business community -- has driven home the simple fact that discrimination is morally wrong and economically reckless.

The time of garnering votes with strident anti-gay rhetoric is over. In fact, there are polls that show that voters will now punish candidates who oppose equal rights," Smith added. The governor and his Democratic rivals have all spoken out against this measure. Where candidates stand on LGBT equality issues is becoming a litmus test for the emerging electorate. In Florida, it is the 3 million registered voters with no party affiliation who will decide the next election. These are predominantly younger voters who vote based on issues that inspire them, not simply based on party.